Modi,Sharif finally greet after cold vibes

November 28, 2014

modi shariefKathmandu, Nov 28: On the last day of the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

New Delhi, however, was quick to point out that Modi’s handshake with Sharif should not be construed as a signal of India’s willingness for an early restart of the stalled bilateral dialogue with Pakistan. “India is for peaceful and cooperative relation with Pakistan. We are interested in meaningful dialogue. If this interaction today (Thursday) or this handshake leads to that, we would welcome that,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told journalists in Kathmandu shortly after the summit concluded. “The emphasis, however, is on meaningful dialogue,” he added.

Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and leaders of other south Asian nations looked on smilingly, as Modi and Sharif, who completely avoided each other during the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday, not only greeted each other, but also chatted briefly and shook hands. The day also saw signing of the Saarc Framework Agreement for Energy (Electricity) Cooperation.

Even before the public display of cordiality, Modi and Sharif warmed up to each other at a retreat in the backdrop of the majestic Himalayas in Dhulikhel, a hill town nearly 30 km south-east of Kathmandu.

As Koirala led other Saarc leaders to the terrace to enjoy the picturesque landscape, Modi and Sharif were seen standing close to each other, soaking in the pristine environs. Modi and Sharif also shook hands and exchanged greetings at an informal meeting and chatted while having lunch with leaders of the six other south Asian nations.

The retreat also provided an opportunity to the leaders to have a candid discussion, which succeeded in ending the impasse over one of the three agreements proposed to be signed during the summit.

Modi and other leaders succeeded in persuading Sharif to approve the Saarc Framework Agreement for Energy (Electricity) Cooperation.

Later, as Koirala declared the summit closed, Modi found himself surrounded by President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom of Maldives, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, as they all came to greet him.

Sharif, who was on the other end of the podium, too, joined later and extended his hand to Modi.

On Modi’s invitation, Sharif had attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new government at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26. They also had a meeting the next day and decided to explore possibilities of restarting the dialogue that New Delhi had suspended in January 2013.

The foreign secretary-level dialogue with Islamabad was later called of to protest Pakistan’s consultation with Kashmiri separatist leaders before holding official parleys with India.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: The Centre on Sunday asked state governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal state and district borders to stop movements of migrant workers during lockdown, officials said.

During a video conference with Chief Secretaries and DGPs, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to ensure that there is no movement of people across cities or on highways as the lockdown continues.

"There has been movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country. Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed," a government official said.

States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways.

Only movement of goods should be allowed.

District Magistrates and SPs should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions, the official said.

Adequate arrangements for food and shelter of poor and needy people including migrant labourers be made at the place of their work, the official said.

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Agencies
July 24,2020

Lucknow, Jul 24: The Congress in Uttar Pradesh on Friday protested against what it dubbed as deliberate and systematic deletions of chapters dealing in freedom struggle and the party's role in it from the syllabi of Classes 10 and 12 of the Secondary Education Board.

Congress leader Anugrah Narain Singh said: "The deletions effected in Class 12 syllabus clearly has political overtones. Chapters dealing with the freedom movement and the Congress role in it have been cut out. The BJP has no role of its own in the country's history and, therefore, wants that the new generations should not learn about the Congress contribution as well."

A Congress delegation submitted a memorandum to UP Eduction Board Secretary Divya Kant Shukla to demand restoration of the deleted chapters and topics.

BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi accused the opposition Congress of "turning every occasion into a political opportunity during the pandemic".

"The Congress is unnecessarily making an issue out of this. Only some portions have been deleted from the syllabi due to shortening of the academic session due to the nationwide lockdown. People already know about the Congress and the cut in the syllabi is only temporary. The Congress is unnecessarily trying to create a political controversy," she said.

Prof Yogeshwar Tiwari of the History Department in the Allahabad University dubbed the changes made in the syllabi as "unfortunate". "The history is not of the Congress alone -- it is the history of the nation and every student must know about it," he said.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Bhopal, Mar 4: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister  Kamal Nath on Tuesday asserted that there was no threat to his government.

Nath's comments came when he was asked about reports of alleged 'poaching' attempts being made by the opposition BJP in the state.

“The legislators are telling me that they are being offered so much money. I am telling the MLAs to take it, if they are getting this free money,” Nath told reporters here on the sidelines of a programme.

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Monday alleged that his party MLAs were being offered “huge money by BJP leaders” as part of the saffron party's “poaching” attempt to destablise the Kamal Nath government.

When Nath was asked about any threat to the stability of his government in Madhya Pradesh, he said, “There is nothing to worry about.”

Reacting to Nath's statement, state BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI that his party has nothing to do with the allegations.

“In fact, these speculations and allegations are part of the internal bickering of among Congress leaders to get nominated for the Rajya Sabha polls,” he said.

After Digvijaya Singh's remarks on Monday, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress veteran of making false statements to create sensationalism.

“Speaking lies to create sensationalism is Digvijaya's habit. Probably some of his (Digivijaya's) works were not done and he wants to create pressure on the CM to get them done,” Chouhan alleged.

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